Daniel's Game
by Mandarax
Summary: Daniel discovers a secret and he's going to make Sam pay for it.


**Daniel's Game**

Rated T

Daniel discovers something and wants Sam to pay for it.

Disclaimer: Not mine, MGM's. I play nice. I promise.

*

"Sam, are you here?"

Daniel popped his head into her lab and looked for his friend. He found her, a phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder, hands typing up on her computer. She hadn't heard him, but from the tone of the conversation it was nothing personal. He learned against the doorframe and waited for her to finish up.

"Yes, sir." She said, smiling, her hands hovering a millimeter above the keyboard.

She listened for another few moments. "Looks good."

She was nodding, and Daniel smiled – as if whomever it was she was talking to could see her.

"Yeah, sure, I'll get right on it."

She laughed at something whomever it was – and he had a good idea who it was – was saying.

"Yes, sir."

Another few moments of silence and her expression softened. "I love you too, Jack."

She put the phone back in its socket and turned back to her computer.

Daniel pushed away from her door quickly and flattened himself against the wall outside her lab. He had a pretty good idea that he wasn't supposed to hear that. Did it have anything to do with Jack's sudden departure to Washington? Or was it the other way around, he was gone so now they could? And why hadn't Sam told him? Or Jack, for that matter? What? When? Why? How?!

Escaping before Sam came out of her lab and caught him Daniel slipped away into his office and sat down in his chair. Jack and Sam are together. That was big, but not too surprising, given their history. Both ultimately admitted at one time or another, that they had feelings for each other. What was really bothering him was that she didn't tell him. And for that, he was going to get her. He was going to make her pay.

A plan was beginning to form in his mind.

*

"Hi Sam," Daniel sauntered into her lab.

She looked up at him and smiled. He has yet to come in today, as far as she knew, and she hadn't seen him since the briefing this morning. "Hi Daniel."

"So I was thinking…" He was standing in her personal space, leaning very much into her. "We should go out to dinner. Just you and me."

Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay." They'd gone out to dinner plenty of times as a team. She'd been out to dinner just with him in the past as well. They had even made fun of the fact that people thought they were on a date. "Okay," she said again. "When do you want to go?"

Daniel smiled happily at her. "I was thinking Friday evening? I'll pick you up at eight?" He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oookay." Sam stared at him. "Danny, what's going on?"

He smiled at her, "nothing, nothing. I just think you and I should spend more time together." He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"We spend most of our time together," she took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her.

"I mean, outside of work," he clarified. Smiling again, he leaned forward, planted a kiss on her cheek and walked out of her lab. A quick look at her monitor confirmed what he assumed – she'd been looking at vacation spots on Earth.

She stared after him. It wasn't the first time he'd played with her hair, he just usually did so when he was drunk on team outings. He'd caressed her face before, but the touch was usually more brotherly than it was today. He'd even kissed her before, but it was never romantic. There was something strange about his behavior. Very strange. Was he – was he trying to flirt with her?

As he walked back to his office, Daniel smiled to himself. He thought she looked scared. It made him happy.

*

Later that evening, sitting in his apartment, Daniel planned the next stage. He would make this so hard for her that she would have to come out and tell him. He will make Colonel Samantha Carter crack under the pressure like she has never before.

Picking up his phone, he dialed her number.

"Hi Sam!"

"Hi Daniel." There was a rumble in the background and someone cursed. A male someone.

He grinned to himself. Surly Sam told Jack about his dinner invitation. "I couldn't wait until tomorrow to hear your voice."

"Daniel…" she was going to say something about how inappropriate it all was.

He cut her off. "I'm sorry, it's just I've been holding back for so long that I just can't anymore." He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "I've never said anything because… Well, I don't know really. But I can't anymore, so…"

There was silence on the other end.

"Sam?"

"You.. Uh, I.. You… I never knew. I mean, there was Sha're and –"

"Sha're would have liked you, had she really had a chance to meet you." That was probably true. "Anyway, it's been years since she died and, well, you were there to help me get over it, and lately I've been lonely, and you and I we have a lot in common…"

"How long has this been going on?" Sam asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Pretty much since I got back." He was lucky this was over the phone. He couldn't get the smirk of success off his face.

"Three years? And you haven't said anything?!"

Daniel had to push the phone away from his ear to keep her from catching his laughter when a very distinct "oh, for crying out loud" was heard in the background. He swallowed his laughter and went on – it was time to finish this conversation.

"Sam, just… go to dinner with me, maybe this can lead somewhere."

"Oh, Daniel…" There was whispering in the background. "Let's talk tomorrow, Okay?"

He sighed, "okay."

"Bye Daniel."

He snapped the phone shut and sat back into his couch. This was fun! Laughing, he turned on the TV and found himself watching – how ironic – an episode of the Simpsons.

*

The following day he woke up a little earlier than usual and set off to prepare for the day. On his way to the mountain he stopped at the flower shop, and picked up the pinkest rose he could. He headed into the locker room and changed into his BDUs, then to his office. Breakfast will have to wait.

He dropped into his chair, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

_Dear Sam,_

_I saw this rose and thought of you. _

_Yours, _

_Daniel_

He attached the flower to the note and grinning to himself made his way to her lab. Making sure it was empty before actually going in, he placed the note and the flower on her keyboard and slipped out. Lady Luck must be on his side he decided when he saw Sam coming out of the elevator in her civvies. He knew the routine – she'll go to the women's locker room, change to her BDUs, go to her lab to check up on whatever research she'd left running from last night and then go to the commissary to get a cup of coffee.

Daniel headed to the commissary and quickly prepared two cups of coffee. He also grabbed a cup of blue jello – her favorite. With a mischievous smile he headed to her lab.

She was already there, his note and his flower tossed on the table next to the keyboard.

"We picked the same color!" He grinned at her as he handed her the coffee and jello. Then, at her confused expression, he pointed at her green BDUs and then his.

Sam smiled awkwardly. "We usually do."

He only grinned at her.

"Thank you, uh, for the uh, coffee and jello, and uh, the note. It's very nice of you."

He loved that she was so awkward about this. He loved that he could make Sam Carter stutter.

"Come on, we'll be late for the briefing."

Walking down the corridor together, Sam finally put into words what had been bothering her since he asked her out for a date the previous day.

"Listen, Daniel, we need to talk about this… whatever this is. This can't get in the way of the team's or SGC regular operations."

Right outside the briefing room he grabbed her hand and stopped her. "So you admit there is something between us?"

Saved by the bell, Sam heaved a sigh of relief when General Landry passed behind them.

"Coming in or do you need a special invitation?"

"Right behind you, Sir."

*

Half an hour later, briefing over, Sam grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him behind her. She'd pulled him all the way to her lab wordlessly. Once inside, she pushed him into a chair.

"Listen. We can't do anything here. We can't talk about it. So stop. I'll go to dinner with you – just stop this – this behavior when we're here. Alright?"

Oh. Too far?

Daniel loved this. "But Sam, I'm a civilian, I don't have to – "

"This has nothing to do with being Air Force or not. We're on the same team. We work together. I can't think about this kind of thing when I'm here."

She didn't have a problem thinking about it when Jack was on the team, did she. But she was genuinely upset with him for the moment. He relented.

Standing up, he took her hand in his. "Alright. I'll stop. Just as long as you go out to dinner with me."

She smiled. "I already said I will."

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the inside. Letting it go, he walked to the door. "Good. I'll see you soon." And he walked out.

Daniel flattened himself against the wall of his office as soon as he entered. Sighing heavily, he tried to relax. This was harder than expected. He loves Sam. He had no doubts about it. She was family. She was like his baby sisters at some times, and she was his caring older sister at other times. She was sometimes like his aunt, and other times, well, she was even like a mom sometimes. But that was exactly what she was – family. There was no way in hell he would ever be able to look at her as anything else. This little game of his was starting to take a toll on him. However, his baby sister was dating his best friend. And she didn't tell him. That mere thought restored his resolve. He will get through this. And he will win. He went back to work on his latest translation.

*

Sam pushed away from her computer, a hand going to her neck, working the knots that had formed since this morning. Daniel's advances had her throwing herself into her work harder than usual, which in and of itself was strange, just to get her mind off things. Looking at her computer for the time, she groaned when she realized how late it was. There wasn't going to be any blue jello left… Brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes she headed out the door.

And walked right into Daniel's muscular chest.

"I was just coming to pick you up!"

She very nearly groaned.

She let him lead her to the commissary, let him talk about this translation and that Ancient signal. She hoped he would keep talking about his work right through lunch, but when he grabbed her elbow to lead her to the corner table of the commissary and not their usual table, she panicked. She would never be the one to admit it, but she needed a savior. A soft sigh of relief escaped her lips when Teal'c came in. She willed him to look at her, and when he did, she held his eyes, begging him to sit with them.

The look she gave him when he sat down next to Daniel promised many, many future favors.

After lunch Daniel walked her back to her lab. Once she was inside he leaned against the doorframe, pressed his fingers to his lips and blew a kiss her way. "I'll miss you, Sam." Turning away, he began humming the Love Boat tune loud enough for her to hear all the way down the corridor. Once far enough from her lab he stopped humming and headed to his office, cracking up. If he had doubts before, they were gone.

This was fun.

*

Several hours later he popped his head into her lab only to find out she was already gone. Oh, that sneaky little- and then he caught sight of her coming out of one of the other labs, already in her civvies. She was trying to avoid him, he realized. No way, Jose.

He ran after her. "Sam! Wait up!"

With a sigh that only made him smile widely she stopped and waited for him.

"How about you let me walk you out?"

She groaned. He grinned.

"Listen, Daniel," she put a hand on his chest. "We need to talk about this –" her other hand moved between them in a forward-backward motion, "- thing you seem to think is going on between us."

She looked really worried. She looked like she was thinking he was infected by some alien bug. Can't have her thinking like that. "Wait, let me just walk you to your car. We'll talk tomorrow at the restaurant."

She relented. He seemed to be his normal self again. No air-kisses and Love Boat tunes. "Okay."

As they headed to the elevator that would take them mountain-top Daniel decided to keep the sweet-talk to a minimum. She was already over stressing about this little charade of his. For the two minute ride they talked about work - translations, naquadah reactors, artifacts, and Teal'c. She visibly relaxed through the short ride, and he could see on her face that she thought that whatever alien influence had gotten into him was gone.

Oh, the beauty of lulling one into a false sense of security.

As they signed out at the mountain's exit gate, Daniel pulled out his car keys. A quick glance around the staff parking lot told him her car wasn't anywhere near there, and neither was her bike.

"How about I give you a ride home? Or better yet, we go to my place, I'll cook dinner, we can watch a movie and just talk? Have that conversation?"

Blushing slightly, she hung her head. "Sorry," she said, "I already have a ride." That last part made her smile widely. "Bye Daniel."

She turned and headed towards a big black truck that was parked in the back of the lot. As she walked the headlights came on and she waved at the driver.

Daniel watched her go, recognizing the truck. Hadn't Jack sold the truck when he moved to DC? Heading to his own car, he began planning the next stage of his attack.

Much later that evening, Daniel decided to pull the phone trick again. Since it had been such a great source of discomfort for them and a joy to him, he couldn't resist the temptation of doing it again. Except that when he called her home line there was no answer. And when he called her cell, it rang for 6 rings and then went to voice mail. That little sneak was purposely not answering him! No matter, there's still tomorrow. A whole day at work, and then their romantic dinner date.

*

Daniel decided to forgo the rose the next morning, and start the day off with a cup of coffee. She was already in her lab when he came in.

"Good morning!" she surprised him with a hug – she put her arms around his waist, kissed his cheek and just as quickly she let go. "Thank you for the coffee!" she took the proffered steaming mug.

"You're welcome." Daniel was just a little irked at her over enthusiasm, but he was not deterred. He played right along. "Did you have a good night last night?" Not that he really wanted to know… "You didn't answer when I called."

"I had a wonderful time. Went out with an old friend. Saw a movie, got a drink, it was nice." She smiled over her coffee cup.

He smiled. That's what Jack was? An old friend? "So I'm picking you up at 8 tonight."

"Yes you are!"

"And I'll see you at lunch."

"Yes you will!"

Daniel didn't like this new direction she had taken. Jack must have advised her to play along. She managed to surprise him. He had to find a way to throw her off her game because all of a sudden he wasn't winning.

Daniel found the perfect scare tactic he could a few hours later.

Knowing that she usually just put whomever called her from inside the mountain on speaker so she can keep working, he picked up the phone in his office, wedged it between his ear and his shoulder.

"Carter."

"Hi sweetie!" He drawled into the phone, trying to sound sexy and sweet. "I missed you!"

He caught her off-guard, alright.

"Daniel, I can't talk right now. General Landry is here." She sounded like she was going to die of embarrassment.

"Oh! Oooookay," he said. "Hi, Sir. Call me later, okay baby?"

"Uh, yeah." And she hung up. He could imagine how red she was. There goes her cocky, I'll play along and scare Daniel off tactic. And if Landry ever asks… well, he'll just tell him the truth.

*

When he appeared at her door to take her to lunch, she was already gone. He narrowed his eyes. She was playing hard to get. And after that phone call, he was sure she was going to hit him with her best. This had just become a battle of wits. And she had Jack to advise her. Not that she needed it.

He turned around and made his way to the commissary. When he entered, he surveyed the room and smiled when he spotted her blonde hair. She was sitting alone, her back to him, reading a report. Filling his tray quickly he made his way to her table and without asking, sat down across from her.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I was wondering where you were. I was getting hungry."

Yeah, right. "You could've called."

A charming little blush spread across her cheeks. "No, I think I've had enough of the internal phone system on base."

He chuckled. "So, what are you reading?"

"SG-5's report about P3X-594."

"Anything interesting?"

"No, not really." She closed the report. "Anyway, there are more important things to talk about right now."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Like where you're taking me tonight."

He'd made reservations at a fancy restaurant in town. "It's a surprise."

"Ohhh." She smiled a shy little smile then. "I wanted to tell you that I'm really happy we're doing this. I was a little freaked out at first but I think I'm getting used to the idea of you and me," she pointed at his chest then at herself, "and this might actually work."

Oh, the lies! But he wouldn't let on that he knew she was lying to him. Instead he rose from his chair, leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad. This could really be a beautiful thing."

"It could."

They sat, staring at each other with fake dreamy looks, hardly talking, hardly eating.

When their meals had gone long cold, he finally shook his head and stood up. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

She took his hand and laced her fingers through his and let him lead her back to his office. Once they reached the lab, he whispered a soft goodbye before letting her hand go. Then, caressing her cheek gently he smiled at her. She gave him a sultry look from behind lowered ashes, waved a tiny goodbye and entered her lab.

Walking back to his office, Daniel had to admit that she made a very competent adversary.

*

At 7:45 he left his apartment. He picked up a bouquet of red roses and headed out to Sam's. Daniel half expected to see Jack's truck in her driveway, but it wasn't there. He parked his car and got out. Walking up the path to her door he hid the flowers behind his back. A quick movement from the window caught his eye and twisting his head to get a better look he saw Jack hide behind a curtain. Daniel grinned to himself. So Jack was there… This will be all the sweeter.

Reaching her door, he knocked and waited. There were muffled words from behind the door, and he could hear footsteps. A very loud "Shut up!" with a sweet giggle from right behind the door, just before it opened.

There she was, Samantha Carter, smiling widely at him, though he was pretty sure it wasn't because of him. He stared. He'd seen her all dressed up before on several occasions. She could clean up real nice. But he hadn't seen her like this, well, ever, actually. She wore a little black dress with a very low front, and strappy heals. She wore makeup. And a necklace. And no dog tags. For the first time since he started this charade his reaction to her was real.

"Wow."

"You're staring."

"Sorry!" she'd shaken him out of his daze. Pulling the flowers from behind his back, he offered them to her. "These are for you."

"Thank you, Daniel," she said as she held the flowers to her nose and inhaled deeply. She was flirting with him and he knew it.

She leaned in towards him to give him a kiss on the cheek, and whispered, "I'll just be a sec."

She stepped back in and pretended to put the flowers away in a vase, except a very distinct male hand appeared from behind the door and practically snatched them from her. Grinning again she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"I'm ready!"

Confident in his game again, Jack's disembodied hand only serving to remind him of the reason he was there, he offered her his arm and she linked her own through his. He led her to his car, opened the passenger door for her and helped her in. With a smug smile he looked back towards the window he'd caught Jack at earlier. Just as he expected, Jack stood there, hands in his pocket, a pissed off expression on his face. Daniel caught his friend's eyes and held them. He smiled at Jack, his eyes sparkling. He watched as realization dawned on Jack's features. He understood. He knows this is just a game that Daniel had to play and win, that there was nothing real about this and that he didn't feel anything remotely romantic towards Sam. Jack shook his head, his features shaking with laughter now. Daniel grinned back at him as he closed Sam's passenger door. He waved goodbye at Jack as he headed to the driver's side and slid into the seat. As he pulled away from the curve he took her hand into his and squeezed it. Reaching the stop sign at the end of her street, he spotted Jack's truck.

*

Dinner started out well. They were seated in a hidden table at the corner of the fancy French restaurant he'd picked. He selected a fancy wine for them, and skimmed over the menu as she selected her appetizer and main course. Once she was done, he quickly ordered his own meal, sending the waiter away.

"You know, usually I would order in French or Italian, just to impress you."

"Oh, Daniel, please order dessert for me in Ancient later," she batted her lashes at him.

They both laughed at that.

Left with their wine and a lull in conversation, Daniel decided it wasn't quite the time to open up that subject. Instead he asked about Cassie. Sam told him she's doing well in college, has a million stories, and boys lined all the way back to the Springs waiting to take her out on a date.

They talked about this and that all through the main course. When it was time for dessert, Sam had a very simple request.

"I'd like some cake, please." She told the waiter.

Daniel had to smile at the familiarity of that request. Cake had been Jack's solution for so many problems over the years, and she picked up on it.

As the waiter left their table, Daniel decided this was it.

"So, uh, Sam, I, uh," oh, he was enjoying this too much, "uh, talk to you, umm, about, uhh, us." He did the stammering thing so well, he thought.

She'd feared this part of the conversation all evening. Truth be told, for the most part she felt like she was having dinner with her old friend Daniel. Until now.

He took her hand in his across the table and smiled at her.

"How come you haven't said anything all this time?" she asked him.

Okay, so she was going to approach it this way. He can play that game. "I thought it would affect our work. I don't want to lose you as a friend." Oh, the cliché! Jack would have loved that one.

"Why now then? We're still working together."

He faked a sigh. "Because I can't take it anymore. Sam, we've been friends for so long, and we've been through so much together, and I kind of all of a sudden realized that there may be more between us that I just hadn't realized was there."

Their eyes met across the table, his full of a very fake dreamy look, hers guarded and wondrous.

"You never said anything."

Daniel sighed heavily. How she didn't call him on it, he didn't know. "Can you tell me, honestly, that you don't feel anything?"

She bit her lower lip before answering. "It's not that I haven't thought about it… But that was what, seven years ago?"

The look of surprise in his eyes was anything but fake. "You thought about me like that?"

"I'm a woman, you're a very attractive man, it's only natural…"

Was she playing him?

"But – I haven't thought about it since."

His eyes narrowed. She definitely was. His next statement was both for the game and for his own conscience. "But you do love me."

"Of course I do, Daniel!" She squeezed his hand, still holding hers. "Just not like that."

That's fine then. "We can work on that, you'll learn to love one bit at a time. I'm a patient man!" He was pushing her and he knew it.

"Daniel, I can't." She pulled her hand from his.

"You've said it yourself, you're a woman, a very attractive one, by the way. And I'm a man…" Oh, she was going to kill him when this is over. "And you've already broken up with Pete – he wasn't the right guy for you by the way, I didn't want to say anything before, so this is just a matter of –"

She raised her hand to stop him. Narrowing her eyes, she said, "And who is the right man for me?"

He really, really wanted to say Jack. He really did. He'd known for years that Jack's the one for her. But if he was going to win this, and he was, he was going to have to play hardball. "Me."

She snorted. "Daniel…"

"Sam, we can make this work." Oh come on, Sam, don't give up now. "Unless…"

"Unless?" she was seeing the way out.

"Unless there's someone else." He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing.

She hesitated.

"Is that why you broke up with Pete?"

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Oh the melodrama! "There is, isn't there!"

"Yes… Fine, yes there is."

"What?!" His hoped his whisper sounded angry enough. "Who is it?"

She didn't answer.

"Do I know him?"

She exhaled slowly.

"Sam! Who is it? Is it Pete? Is he back?"

"God, no." There was a look of disgust on her face.

"Who then?" Oh, he was pushing it and she was going to kill him. He loved it.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"Sam? Tell me. I need to know who you're breaking my heart with." She should have known right there and then that he weren't serious. Who would say something like that?

"I can't…" she whispered back.

"Please!" He begged. He was disgusted with himself now.

"Sorry…"

"Sam, tell me."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Come on, Sam. Say it!"

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Fine! It's Jack! I'm with Jack!"

A triumphant smile appeared on his features. He nearly punched a waiter who walked by with his hand as it went into the air. "Yes!"

"You knew! All this time, you knew!" She stared at him, open mouthed.

"I may have overheard you talking to him on the phone the other day." He had the decency to look away from her, an embarrassed blush rising on his cheeks.

"Were you eavesdropping on my private conversation?" She raised an eyebrow. It was her time to get back at him.

"No, no, no, no!" He spit out. "I just wanted to say good morning and you were yes, sir-ing and I waited for you to finish and then you just finished with 'I love you, Jack'."

"You've been acting disgustingly icky for 3 days so that I'll admit we're together?"

"No, I don't need you to admit, you pretty much already have. No, I did this because you didn't tell me about this new development in your personal life."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm supposed to be your best friend, your confidant, your tell me and I'll tell you, keep no secrets, tell everything friend!"

"We didn't want anyone to know yet," she admitted. "Didn't want rumors. And we wanted it to be just us, at least for a little while."

"Sam, you're allowed to be happy. So there'll be rumors, but I think pretty much everyone's just going to be happy for you." He took her hand in his again and squeezed it.

"Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate it."

"And for the record, he's the right man for you."

"Not you?"

He laughed. "No, no. No!"

She smiled. "I have to tell him you know."

"I think he already knows." At her question look, he went on. "I saw him staring out your window when we drove away from the house before."

She patted his hand. "He wants to kill you."

He grinned. "He probably did before. But not anymore. He knows this was just good ole' fun." Then, squeezing her hand again, he said, "I'm happy for you. Both of you. You deserve to be happy. God knows you've done enough for this planet and this galaxy to have a little happiness in your life."

A blush crept up her neck. "Thanks, Daniel. It means a lot to me. To us."

He smiled warmly at her. "I just hope you keep the SGC and Stargate secret better than you've kept this one."

The End


End file.
